Photos/Story by Jake Seaton
It was a scene reminiscent of Best Coast’s show at Tir Na Nog during Hopscotch the night of the festival’s christening.
With a line stretching from 14 W. Martin Street to Fayetteville Street, not even some VIPs were admitted into Kings Barcade until some of the crowd cleared from Dinosaur Feathers‘ festival-opening performance.
As someone who was unfamiliar with Dinosaur Feathers going into the show — admittedly, this book’s cover drew my attention, as well as the prospect of catching Lower Dens — I was a bit taken aback at the massive crowd this Brooklyn-based quartet attracted. However, once the ball started rolling, it was clear these dudes knew how to get a party going, and there was no bigger party in Raleigh than Hopscotch.
Bouncing around the stage, Dinosaur Feathers incorporated flashes of the Afrobeat genre reinvigorated by Vampire Weekend. While missing those big hooks that Vampire Weekend seems to have a knack for, the separator here was Dino Feathers did Afrobeat with far less pomp and took cues from the Beach Boys with elaborate Wall of Sound-style harmonies.
As Dino Feathers started to wind down, the crowd finally began to let up, allowing me — and others — to work my way to the front of the stage for Lower Dens’ set. This is a band I’d long wanted to see live. I’ve professed in the past my love for the music coming out of Baltimore, and this is one of the bands that reinforces that appreciation.
Not to mention, Lower Dens has a song called “Batman.” Instant win right there.
Again, I’d never seen Lower Dens live. In fact, I’d never watched a video featuring the band. So when frontwoman Jana Hunter took the stage, I was surprised by her diminutive size, and her deadpan stare while performing recalled Buster Keaton. Despite this, Hunter entranced the audience and commanded the stage much like Ian Curtis before her.
The Curtis similarities didn’t stop with Hunter, however, the band itself felt as though they picked up where Joy Division and subsequently New Order’s Movement left off.
This perhaps was what was most intriguing about Lower Dens as they transported the audience to a time when a majority of the crowd barely even existed.
A little play, a little nostalgia, a great way to get Hopscotch 2011 started.
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